Importation of Exotic Wild Birds Into the United States; Notice of Reopening of Comment Period on the Proposed Rule To Add Blue-Fronted Amazon Parrots From Argentina's Sustainable-Use Management Plan to the Approved List of Non-Captive-Bred Species, 15798-15799 [05-6159]

Download as PDF 15798 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 59 / Tuesday, March 29, 2005 / Proposed Rules After evaluating comments received as a result of the February 23 notice, the Department will issue a notice announcing the establishment and composition of the committee. The statutory timetable for this rulemaking is short. Section 7212 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Act specifies that the recommendations of the negotiated rulemaking committee must be submitted to the Secretary of Transportation no later than 9 months after the date of enactment, i.e., by September 17, 2005. Section 7212 further specifies that the Secretary must issue a final rule establishing the minimum standards no later than 18 months after the date of enactment, i.e., by June 17, 2006. To meet these deadlines, the Department must begin, in the very near future, a very compressed schedule of regulatory negotiation meetings. The Department has scheduled five meetings on the following dates: Meeting 1: April 19–21, 2005. Meeting 2: May 10–13, 2005. Meeting 3: May 31, June 1–3, 2005. Meeting 4: June 21–24, 2005. Meeting 5: July 12–15, 2005. The meetings will take place in the Department of Transportation headquarters building, 400 7th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590, in Room 2230. Meetings are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 5:30 p.m. The meetings of the committee are open to the public (unless portions of the meeting are held in closed session, as provided under FACA). Attendance will necessarily be limited by the size of the meeting room. Members of the public wishing to attend meetings held in Department of Transportation buildings or other Federal facilities will have to enter through designated security checkpoints. The visitor entry point for the Department of Transportation headquarters building is in the southwest corner entrance to the building (i.e., the entrance nearest the corner of 7th and E Streets, SW.). Visitors must be escorted into and out of the building. Because it can take some time for large numbers of visitors to process through security, we request that visitors arrive between 8:30 and 8:45 a.m. to undergo the screening process. DOT personnel will then escort groups of visitors to the meeting room. This group escort process will also be followed for persons entering following the lunch break and for persons leaving the building for lunch and at the end of each day’s meeting. As a general matter, the committee will make one hour available for public comments on the Wednesdays of each VerDate jul<14>2003 16:56 Mar 28, 2005 Jkt 205001 meeting from 2–3 p.m. Individuals wishing to address the committee should sign up on the public comment sign-in sheet before lunch and the time available will be reasonably divided among those who have signed up, but no one will have more than 15 minutes even if less than 4 people have signed up. Written comments and reports can be given to the facilitator for distribution to the committee members. Persons wanting to present written materials to the committee should make enough copies for all committee members. The agenda topics for the meetings will include, but not necessarily be limited to, discussion of the following issues: 1. Documentation required as proof of identity of an applicant for a driver’s license or personal identification card, including the scope of personal identification cards covered by the requirement. 2. Verifiability of documents used to obtain a driver’s license or personal identification card. 3. Processing of applications for driver’s licenses and personal identification cards to prevent fraud. 4. Information to be included on each driver’s license or personal identification card. 5. Common machine-readable identity information to be included on each driver’s license or personal identification card, including defined minimum data elements. 6. Security standards to ensure that driver’s licenses and personal identification cards are—(i) resistant to tampering, alteration, or counterfeiting; and (ii) capable of accommodating and ensuring the security of a digital photograph or other unique identifier. 7. Requirement that a State confiscate a driver’s license or personal identification card if any component or security feature of the license or identification card is compromised. 8. Requirement that rules facilitate communication between the chief driver licensing official of a State, an appropriate official of a Federal agency and other relevant officials, to verify the authenticity of documents, as appropriate, issued by such Federal agency or entity and presented to prove the identity of an individual. 9. Ensuring that standards do not infringe on a State’s power to set criteria concerning what categories of individuals are eligible to obtain a driver’s license or personal identification card from that State. 10. Prohibition on requiring a State to comply with any such regulation that conflicts with or otherwise interferes PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 with the full enforcement of State criteria concerning the categories of individuals that are eligible to obtain a driver’s license or personal identification card from that State. 11. Prohibition on requiring a single design to which driver’s licenses or personal identification cards issued by all States must conform. 12. Procedures and requirements to protect the privacy rights of individuals who apply for and hold driver’s licenses and personal identification cards. 13. Assessment of the benefits and costs of the recommendations. The committee may alter this schedule, including the agenda items. The agenda topics presented in this notice are necessarily very general since the direction and nature of the advisory committee discussions will shape each subsequent meeting. The Department may issue additional notices, as needed, with respect to changes in the schedule or agenda topics. Issued this 22nd day of March, 2005, at Washington, DC. Jeffrey A. Rosen, General Counsel. [FR Doc. 05–6167 Filed 3–24–05; 2:43 pm] BILLING CODE 4910–62–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 15 RIN 1018–AH89 Importation of Exotic Wild Birds Into the United States; Notice of Reopening of Comment Period on the Proposed Rule To Add Blue-Fronted Amazon Parrots From Argentina’s SustainableUse Management Plan to the Approved List of Non-Captive-Bred Species Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of reopening of comment period. AGENCY: SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), give notice that we are reopening the comment period on the proposed rule to add blue-fronted amazon parrots (Amazona aestiva) from Argentina’s sustainable-use management plan to the approved list of non-captive-bred (wild-caught) species under the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 (WBCA). We are reopening the public comment period to enter into the record Dr. Jorge Rabinovich’s 2004 study, ‘‘Modeling the Sustainable Use of the Blue-Fronted Parrot (Amazona aestiva) in the Dry Chaco Region of E:\FR\FM\29MRP1.SGM 29MRP1 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 59 / Tuesday, March 29, 2005 / Proposed Rules Argentina,’’ and to accept comments related to the relationship of this study to the proposed addition of blue-fronted amazon parrots from Argentina’s program to the approved list of noncaptive-bred (wild-caught) species under the WBCA. We invite all interested parties to submit comments on this study as it relates to the proposed action. Comments previously submitted on this proposed action need not be resubmitted as they have already been incorporated into the public record and will be fully considered in any final decision. DATES: We will accept comments until April 28, 2005. We will consider any comments received by that date in the final decision on the proposal. ADDRESSES: If you wish to comment, you may submit your comments and materials by any one of several methods: 1. You may submit written comments and information to Dr. Peter O. Thomas, Chief, Division of Management Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Room 700, Arlington, Virginia 22203. 2. You may hand-deliver written comments and information to the Division of Management Authority, at the above address, or fax your comments to 703/358–2298. 3. You may send your comments by electronic mail (e-mail) to bluefront@fws.gov. Please submit e-mail comments as an ASCII file, avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption. Please also include ‘‘Attention: [blue-fronted amazon]’’ and your name and return address in your message. Please note that the e-mail address, bluefront@fws.gov, will be closed out at the end of the public comment period. 4. We request that you not submit duplicate comments by multiple means. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for comment procedures. To obtain a copy of the aforementioned study, you can download or print it from https:// international.fws.gov or contact Anne St. John at 703/358–2095 (phone) or 703/358–2298 (facsimile) to receive a faxed or mailed copy. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Peter O. Thomas, Chief, Division of Management Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; telephone 703/358– 2093; fax 703/358–2280. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background The blue-fronted amazon parrot ranges from northeastern Brazil south to Paraguay and northern Argentina. It feeds on fruits and seeds of a wide VerDate jul<14>2003 16:56 Mar 28, 2005 Jkt 205001 15799 variety of plants and inhabits a variety of wooded habitats, ranging from subtropical forests to chaco scrub, savanna, and gallery forest. It is closely tied to old-growth areas with large trees that provide nest cavities. The species was included in CITES Appendix II in 1981 when the Order Psittaciformes was listed. The WBCA limits or prohibits import into the United States of exotic bird species to ensure that their wild populations are not harmed by international trade. It also encourages wild bird conservation programs in countries of origin by ensuring that all imports of such species are biologically sustainable and not detrimental to the survival of the species. On November 16, 1993, we published a final rule in the Federal Register (58 FR 60536) in which we informed the public that imports of all CITES-listed birds (as defined in the final rule) were prohibited, except for (a) species included in an approved list; (b) specimens for which an import permit has been issued; (c) species from countries that have approved sustainable-use management plans for those species; or (d) specimens from approved foreign captive-breeding facilities. On August 6, 2003, we published in the Federal Register (68 FR 46559) a rule proposing to approve a sustainableuse management plan developed by the CITES Management Authority of Argentina for blue-fronted amazon parrots under the WBCA. The rule proposed to add blue-fronted amazon parrots from Argentina’s program to the approved list of non-captive-bred (wildcaught) species contained in 50 CFR 15.33(b). The public comment period on this proposed rule was open for 60 days, and in our final rule, we will address the comments we received. The purpose of reopening the comment period through the date specified in DATES above is to enter into the record Dr. Jorge Rabinovich’s 2004 study, ‘‘Modeling the Sustainable Use of the Blue-Fronted Parrot (Amazona aestiva) in the Dry Chaco Region of Argentina,’’ and any comments we receive regarding the relationship of this study to the proposed addition of blue-fronted amazon parrots from Argentina’s program to the approved list of noncaptive-bred (wild-caught) species under the WBCA. and its relationship to the proposed rule. In making a final decision, we will take into consideration the comments we received and their relationship to the proposed action. Such communications may lead to a final determination that differs from the proposed rule. The previous comment period on this proposed rule closed on October 6, 2003. To allow all interested parties time to submit their comments for the record, we are reopening the comment period until the date specified above in DATES. Our practice is to make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular business hours. Individual respondents may request that we withhold their home address from the rulemaking record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. There also may be circumstances in which we would withhold from the rulemaking record a respondent’s identity, as allowable by law. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. However, we will not consider anonymous comments. We will make all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety. Comments and materials received will be available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the above address. Public Comments Solicited We request comments or suggestions from the public, other concerned governmental agencies, the scientific community, industry, or any other interested party concerning this study Dated: March 17, 2005. Craig Manson, Assistant Secretary—Fish and Wildlife and Parks. [FR Doc. 05–6159 Filed 3–28–05; 8:45 am] PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 References Cited Rabinovich, Jorge. 2004. Unpublished report. ´ Centro de Estudios Parasitologicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE), Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Prov. de Buenos Aires, Argentina. 147 pp. with figures. Author The primary author of this notice is Anne St. John (see ADDRESSES section). Authority The authority for this action is the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 (Pub. L. 102–440, 16 U.S.C. 4901– 4916.). BILLING CODE 4310–55–P E:\FR\FM\29MRP1.SGM 29MRP1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 59 (Tuesday, March 29, 2005)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 15798-15799]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-6159]


=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 15

RIN 1018-AH89


Importation of Exotic Wild Birds Into the United States; Notice 
of Reopening of Comment Period on the Proposed Rule To Add Blue-Fronted 
Amazon Parrots From Argentina's Sustainable-Use Management Plan to the 
Approved List of Non-Captive-Bred Species

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; notice of reopening of comment period.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), give notice that 
we are reopening the comment period on the proposed rule to add blue-
fronted amazon parrots (Amazona aestiva) from Argentina's sustainable-
use management plan to the approved list of non-captive-bred (wild-
caught) species under the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 (WBCA). We 
are reopening the public comment period to enter into the record Dr. 
Jorge Rabinovich's 2004 study, ``Modeling the Sustainable Use of the 
Blue-Fronted Parrot (Amazona aestiva) in the Dry Chaco Region of

[[Page 15799]]

Argentina,'' and to accept comments related to the relationship of this 
study to the proposed addition of blue-fronted amazon parrots from 
Argentina's program to the approved list of non-captive-bred (wild-
caught) species under the WBCA. We invite all interested parties to 
submit comments on this study as it relates to the proposed action. 
Comments previously submitted on this proposed action need not be 
resubmitted as they have already been incorporated into the public 
record and will be fully considered in any final decision.

DATES: We will accept comments until April 28, 2005. We will consider 
any comments received by that date in the final decision on the 
proposal.

ADDRESSES: If you wish to comment, you may submit your comments and 
materials by any one of several methods:
    1. You may submit written comments and information to Dr. Peter O. 
Thomas, Chief, Division of Management Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Room 700, Arlington, Virginia 22203.
    2. You may hand-deliver written comments and information to the 
Division of Management Authority, at the above address, or fax your 
comments to 703/358-2298.
    3. You may send your comments by electronic mail (e-mail) to 
bluefront@fws.gov. Please submit e-mail comments as an ASCII file, 
avoiding the use of special characters and any form of encryption. 
Please also include ``Attention: [blue-fronted amazon]'' and your name 
and return address in your message. Please note that the e-mail 
address, bluefront@fws.gov, will be closed out at the end of the public 
comment period.
    4. We request that you not submit duplicate comments by multiple 
means. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for comment procedures.
    To obtain a copy of the aforementioned study, you can download or 
print it from https://international.fws.gov or contact Anne St. John at 
703/358-2095 (phone) or 703/358-2298 (facsimile) to receive a faxed or 
mailed copy.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Peter O. Thomas, Chief, Division 
of Management Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; telephone 703/
358-2093; fax 703/358-2280.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The blue-fronted amazon parrot ranges from northeastern Brazil 
south to Paraguay and northern Argentina. It feeds on fruits and seeds 
of a wide variety of plants and inhabits a variety of wooded habitats, 
ranging from subtropical forests to chaco scrub, savanna, and gallery 
forest. It is closely tied to old-growth areas with large trees that 
provide nest cavities. The species was included in CITES Appendix II in 
1981 when the Order Psittaciformes was listed.
    The WBCA limits or prohibits import into the United States of 
exotic bird species to ensure that their wild populations are not 
harmed by international trade. It also encourages wild bird 
conservation programs in countries of origin by ensuring that all 
imports of such species are biologically sustainable and not 
detrimental to the survival of the species. On November 16, 1993, we 
published a final rule in the Federal Register (58 FR 60536) in which 
we informed the public that imports of all CITES-listed birds (as 
defined in the final rule) were prohibited, except for (a) species 
included in an approved list; (b) specimens for which an import permit 
has been issued; (c) species from countries that have approved 
sustainable-use management plans for those species; or (d) specimens 
from approved foreign captive-breeding facilities.
    On August 6, 2003, we published in the Federal Register (68 FR 
46559) a rule proposing to approve a sustainable-use management plan 
developed by the CITES Management Authority of Argentina for blue-
fronted amazon parrots under the WBCA. The rule proposed to add blue-
fronted amazon parrots from Argentina's program to the approved list of 
non-captive-bred (wild-caught) species contained in 50 CFR 15.33(b). 
The public comment period on this proposed rule was open for 60 days, 
and in our final rule, we will address the comments we received. The 
purpose of reopening the comment period through the date specified in 
DATES above is to enter into the record Dr. Jorge Rabinovich's 2004 
study, ``Modeling the Sustainable Use of the Blue-Fronted Parrot 
(Amazona aestiva) in the Dry Chaco Region of Argentina,'' and any 
comments we receive regarding the relationship of this study to the 
proposed addition of blue-fronted amazon parrots from Argentina's 
program to the approved list of non-captive-bred (wild-caught) species 
under the WBCA.

Public Comments Solicited

    We request comments or suggestions from the public, other concerned 
governmental agencies, the scientific community, industry, or any other 
interested party concerning this study and its relationship to the 
proposed rule. In making a final decision, we will take into 
consideration the comments we received and their relationship to the 
proposed action. Such communications may lead to a final determination 
that differs from the proposed rule.
    The previous comment period on this proposed rule closed on October 
6, 2003. To allow all interested parties time to submit their comments 
for the record, we are reopening the comment period until the date 
specified above in DATES.
    Our practice is to make comments, including names and home 
addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular 
business hours. Individual respondents may request that we withhold 
their home address from the rulemaking record, which we will honor to 
the extent allowable by law. There also may be circumstances in which 
we would withhold from the rulemaking record a respondent's identity, 
as allowable by law. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or 
address, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your 
comment. However, we will not consider anonymous comments. We will make 
all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety. 
Comments and materials received will be available for public 
inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the above 
address.

References Cited

Rabinovich, Jorge. 2004. Unpublished report. Centro de Estudios 
Parasitol[oacute]gicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE), Universidad Nacional 
de La Plata, La Plata, Prov. de Buenos Aires, Argentina. 147 pp. 
with figures.

Author

    The primary author of this notice is Anne St. John (see ADDRESSES 
section).

Authority

    The authority for this action is the Wild Bird Conservation Act of 
1992 (Pub. L. 102-440, 16 U.S.C. 4901-4916.).

    Dated: March 17, 2005.
Craig Manson,
Assistant Secretary--Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
[FR Doc. 05-6159 Filed 3-28-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

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